Tyler Reddick’s first season with 23XI Racing has produced his deepest run in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, an appearance in the Round of 8. The campaign has marked his next stage of growth, from his days as a winner and eventual title contender in the Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series to a full-fledged title hopeful in NASCAR’s top tour.

Despite the postseason’s sometimes-frantic pace, Reddick found time recently for reflection in a wide-ranging sitdown — debuting today in full on NASCAR’s YouTube channel. The 27-year-old driver opened up on his career path, the joys and twists of parenting, and what it’s like driving for 23XI co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin.

Reddick’s development has accelerated since he first entered NASCAR’s national series scene as a promising teenager in the truck tour in 2013. Along the way, he grew into a force in the Xfinity Series, where he won consecutive championships (2018-19) for two different organizations. That proved to be reassurance for Reddick that his aspirations of gaining a foothold in the Cup Series someday was a possibility.

“Being able to switch teams like that and go out and win a second championship made me feel like it was going to happen at some point,” Reddick said. “It went down the way that it did, and I ended up moving into the 8 car the next year.”

Reddick eventually rounded into a Cup Series winner with Richard Childress Racing’s No. 8 group, but when Hamlin, Jordan and company came calling, he answered. Reddick acknowledged the potential for hurt feelings on the RCR side, especially after he had expressed, “It wasn’t even on my radar about racing anywhere else in the future.”

Reddick discussed how he made the news known about his 23XI Racing move as a surprise guest on a Zoom video conference and the motives for breaking the story the way they did. But he also noted how 23XI has raised his level of expectation, a precedent that stems from the organization’s “work together” mantra but also Jordan’s competitive nature and history of success.

“I remember a time that if I qualified 15th in a Cup race, I was over-the-moon excited,” Reddick said. “Now, if I qualify 15th in a Cup race, it’s harder to be much more disappointed than I am, and that just goes to show where this team is heading. So it’s nice to have those higher expectations week in and week out, and put ourselves in that top-line conversation.”

Watch the whole conversation, including Reddick’s take on fatherhood, from 23XI Racing here:

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